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CENTER UPDATE

Monthly Newsletter for The Counseling Center of Wayne and Holmes Counties

Edition: December 2008

Text Box: ADMISSIONS  Twenty-eight percent of the admissions to the Counseling Center in fiscal year 2008 were under 18 and 5 % were minorities, compared to a minority population of approximately 3%.  In addition, the Center served 94 members of the Amish community.    

Text Box: Two Counseling Center staff members were recently recognized by the Mental Health and Recovery Board (MHRB) of Wayne and Holmes Counties at their recent Open House.  Joy Stitzlein, M.S.W., L.I.S.W., Director of Community Education and Prevention Services, was recognized for her work with suicide prevention in the local schools which in the past year reached over 1,000 youth.  Diane DeRue, Vice-President and Chief of Rehabilitation and Recovery Services, was recognized for her dedicated work with local family support and consumer groups which have recently merged to form the Mental Health Coalition.  DeRue previously served as Treasurer of the local chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI).

Text Box: AFFILIATION AGREEMENT SIGNED

Text Box: The Counseling Center and Your Human Resource Center have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which sets the stage for the two organizations to actively work together to reduce costs, share resources and coordinate services.  While the organizations might eventually consider a formal merger, the initial intent, according to Dr.  Robert Zeh, Executive Director of YHRC, is to “move slowly and to concentrate on service enhancement and resource management.” Both organizations are accredited by the same national accrediting organization (CARF) and both are certified by the Ohio Department of Mental Health. In addition, YHRC is certified by the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services. “The fact that we share many of the same certifications and accreditations means that we already have much in common in terms of our policies and procedures,” noted Susan Buchwalter, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Center.  “In addition, our closer affiliation may eventually make it easier for persons who have both mental health and chemical dependency problems to access coordinated services.”  Both organizations have offices in Wooster, Orrville, Rittman and Millersburg and plan to initially explore the feasibility of sharing office space as one cost containment measure.

Text Box: Sue Massaro, L.S.W. and Emily Gaul, L.S.W., members of the Community Psychiatric Support Program staff, recently attended the fifth annual Ohio Supreme Court training on specialized court dockets.  Both are involved with the Wayne County Mental Health Court. Recently completing specialized training in working with the elderly were Diane Meyer, Director of Emergency Services, and Sherre Smith, L.P.N., Director of Psychiatric Services, along with emergency services staff members Doug Princehorn, L.S.W. and Crystal Musselman, L.S.W.  

Text Box: STAFF TRAINING

Text Box: STAFF RECOGNIZED